LONDON PARAKEETS

At Battersea Park today the Ring-necked or Rose-ringed Parakeets were everywhere. This species has been in London for decades but their range has greatly expanded in recent years. A decade ago they were mostly confined to the area around Kew Gardens. This is the same species now prevalent in Lisbon, Amsterdam and numerous other European cities.

There was another long-tailed bird found all over Battersea Park. specially in the donkey pen at the Children’s Zoo:

There waS AN IMMATURE Great-crested Grebe in the Battersea Park lake. It’s the first I’ve seen on this trip because I haven’t had time to bird Regents Park or visit the London Wetland Center where the birds are common. There are as big as Western Grebes with a much fancier hair-do.

All the visible Shovelers at Battersea today were males.

In Kelsey Park the Mandarin Ducks are usually on the small stream, not in the open lake. And this female was perched on a bare limb. Along with their near-relative, Wood Ducks, the Mandarin is a duck you often see perched on a limb near water. Ever see a Mallard or Wigeon perch on a limb in the air? I think not.